On the 24th, according to TechCrunch, Google stated during the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit trial concerning the search market that Gemini’s recent MAU is 350 million. This represents an almost eightfold increase from the 42 million recorded last October.
The number of daily active users (DAU) also increased approximately fourfold, from 9 million to 35 million during the same period. OpenAI’s ChatGPT currently logs 500 million MAUs, but the gap is quickly narrowing. ChatGPT, as of last October, was also at the 42 million mark.
The partnership with Samsung Electronics has played a significant role in Gemini’s growth. Google launched the Gemini 2.0 and 2.5 models, pre-installing them on Samsung Galaxy smartphones. This strategy has contributed to improving both accessibility and usability for Gemini.
However, the collaboration with Samsung Electronics might also become a burden for Google in the ongoing antitrust trials. The U.S. Department of Justice claims that Google has paid Samsung Electronics significant sums to spread Gemini in the market.
Google disclosed that the contract with Samsung Electronics was signed this past January, agreeing to pay for Gemini installations over at least two years. The agreement could be extended until 2028.
Gemini is central to Google’s strategy to strengthen its ecosystem. The surge in user numbers is evidence that this strategy is yielding some results. However, if it leads to issues of fair competition, it could affect Google’s AI business in the long term.